Meet Esthela Gonzalez

We were lucky to catch up with Esthela Gonzalez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Esthela, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from my humble beginnings. I was raised by a single mother and have the lived experience of a minority when it comes to a multitude of my identities. While it was challenging navigating life through my various identities, it also helped build my perseverance as it proved that everything is mental and I am capable of surpassing every obstacle that comes my way.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

From a young age, I’ve had a passion for the arts. I have always been a creator – whether that be of poetry, acting, fashion, makeup, or beauty. I love being able to express myself through my creativity – painting the picture of my identity through my words, through my fashion and makeup choices, and through music. Life is beautiful and messy and evokes so many feelings that only art can truly embody for me, especially as an empath.

I am a small content creator on YouTube (@horchatamamita) and instagram (@horchatamamita_) with niches in lifestyle, beauty, and fashion content. I am also an aspiring actress, taking classes and participating in local projects in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities that I believe are pivotal as an artist are flexibility, discernment, and mindfulness. Flexibility is important because the fluidity of art is a part of what makes it beautiful, but it is also something that makes it unpredictable. As an artist, you are constantly in a state of discomfort and have to adapt to whatever is thrown your way – whether that be the nature of the project, your schedule, or other things. If you tell yourself that the only constant in life is change, then your response to such change is likely more positive. The second quality is discernment – in such a wavering industry, it is imperative to choose projects intentionally and define your own measurement of success throughout the process. This means being able to identify what projects align with your personal goals and constantly defining and redefining success to track your growth throughout your journey. Throughout this process, it is vital to acknowledge that the small wins and even losses are just as valuable as the big wins – this puts the focus on consistent growth and learning, not just limiting success to “big breaks” that are rare and not necessarily guaranteed. Lastly, a huge lesson for me has been to prioritize mindfulness. I’ve learned that I can not show up fully if I am not showing up authentically. If I focus on being grounded and in tune with myself, then I will have a deeper connection with my projects. That said, in whatever you pursue, so long as you focus on tapping into your truth, the rest will work itself out.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

I fundamentally believe that challenges are mere opportunities to grow and if I am capable of overcoming all that I have, there is nothing that I am incapable of accomplishing in my life. With that said, the number one challenge that I am currently facing as an artist is focusing on my artistic endeavors, while managing everything else in my life. It is often hard to balance my personal life with my creative pursuits, because there are times where one might take more precedence. Sometimes, I need to focus on sustaining a comfortable lifestyle for myself, and there are other times when I need to focus on expressing my creativity. In the midst of balancing the two, there are a few things that have been helpful, but at its root, I would say the most helpful has been finding what personally keeps me grounded and fills my cup to fuel my perseverance. It is easy to be distracted from my visions, my goals, and my aspirations when I get caught up in life’s challenges and forget my purpose in all that I do. Life can be hard and overwhelming – but in the midst of so much distraction and hardship, I acknowledge that I have complete control in where my attention goes and if I keep myself centered, everything will work out. I’ve always prided myself in my self-awareness – understanding not only the things that trigger me, but also identifying the things that calm me when my world feels chaotic. There are many things that take me outside of myself in life, but there are also many things that bring me back to Esthela, and those are things I focus on when facing any obstacle.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: horchatamamita_
• Youtube: @horchatamamita102 (horchata mamita)
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user187940264

Image Credits

Headshot credits: Allen Johnson